Siege artillery (also siege guns or siege cannons) are heavy guns designed to bombard fortifications, cities, and other fixed targets. They are distinct from field artillery and are a class of

siege weapon A siege engine is a device that is designed to break or circumvent heavy castle doors, thick city walls and other fortifications in siege warfare. Some are immobile, constructed in place to attack enemy fortifications from a distance, while other ...

capable of firing heavy cannonballs or shells that required enormous transport and logistical support to operate. They lacked mobility and thus were rarely useful in more mobile warfare situations, generally having been superseded by heavy howitzers (towed and

self-propelled artillery Self-propelled artillery (also called locomotive artillery) is artillery equipped with its own propulsion system to move toward its firing position. Within the terminology are the self-propelled gun, self-propelled howitzer, self-propelled ...

), strategic bomber aircraft,

surface-to-surface missile A surface-to-surface missile (SSM) or ground-to-ground missile (GGM) is a missile designed to be launched from the ground or the sea and strike targets on land or at sea. They may be fired from hand-held or vehicle mounted devices, from fixed ins ...

ballistic missile A ballistic missile is a type of missile that uses projectile motion to deliver warheads on a target. These weapons are guided only during relatively brief periods—most of the flight is unpowered. Short-range ballistic missiles stay within the ...

s, cruise missiles and

multiple rocket launcher A multiple rocket launcher (MRL) or multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) is a type of rocket artillery system that contains multiple launchers which are fixed to a single platform, and shoots its rocket ordnance in a fashion similar to a volle ...

s in modern warfare.

Muzzle-loading artillery

Breech-loading artillery

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9 cm Kanone C/79 The 9 cm Kanone C/79 was a fortress and siege gun developed after the Franco-Prussian War and used by Germany before and during World War I. History After the Franco-Prussian War, the German Army began to study replacements for its 9 cm Kan ...

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World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, - , 107 , , 42-line siege gun M1877 , , , ,

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...

, - , 120 , , 12-cm Kanone M 80 , , , , World War I , - , 120 , ,

Canon de 120 mm modèle 1878 The Canon de 120 mm L modèle 1878 – was a French piece of siege and field artillery which was widely used during the First World War and despite its obsolescence, it was still in use by some nations during the Second World War. History T ...

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World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, - , 120 , , 12 cm Kanone C/80 , , , , World War I , - , 120 , , Obusier de 120 mm modèle 1890 , , , , World War I , - , 149.1 , ,

15 cm Kanone M 80 The 15 cm Kanone M 80 was a siege gun used by Austria-Hungary during World War I. Designed to replace the M 61 series of siege guns the M 80 family of siege guns offered greater range and armor penetration than the older guns. The steel-bron ...

, , , , World War I , - , 149.1 , , 15 cm Ring Kanone C/72 , , , , World War I , - , 149.1 , , 15 cm Ring Kanone C/92 , , , , World War I , - , 149.1 , , 15 cm Ring Kanone L/30 , , , , World War I , - , 149.1 , , Type 96 15 cm cannon , , , , World War II , - , 149.7 , , 15 cm Mörser M1881 , , , , World War I , - , 150 , , Obusier de 15 cm TR Schneider-Canet-du-Bocage , , / , , World War I , - , 152.4 , ,

6 inch siege gun M1877 The 6-inch siege gun model 1877 (russian: 6-дюймовая осадная пушка образца 1877 года) was a Russian Empire, Russian fortress gun, siege gun and coastal artillery, coastal defense gun. It was used in the Russo-Japa ...

, , , , World War I , - , 152.5 , , BLC 6 inch siege gun , , , , 1902–1915 , - , 152.4 , ,

6 inch siege gun M1904 6-inch siege gun model 1904 (russian: 6-дюймовая осадная пушка образца 1904 года) was a Russian 152.4 mm heavy siege gun. It was produced by ''Perm Works'', with a total of about 200 pieces having been built. T ...

, , , , World War I , - , 152.4 , , 152 mm siege gun M1910 , , , , World War I , - , 152.4 , , Cannone da 152/45 , , , , World War I, World War II , - , 155 , , De Bange 155 mm cannon , , , , World War I , - , 155 , , Obusier de 155 mm C modèle 1881 , , , , World War I , - , 155 , , Obusier de 155 mm C modèle 1890 , , , , World War I , - , 180 , , 18 cm kurze Kanone M 80 , , , , World War I , - , 203 , ,

8-inch mortar M1877 The 8-inch mortar M1877 was a Russian coastal, fortress and siege mortar that was used in the Russo-Japanese War and World War I. History The M1877 was first designed and produced by the Obukhov State Plant in Saint Petersburg and was fairly ...

, , , , World War I , - , 209 , , 21 cm Mörser M1880 , , , , World War I , - , 209 , , 21 cm Haubitze M1891 , , , , World War I , - , 210 , , 210 mm M1894 , , , , World War I , - , 210 , ,

210 mm gun M1939 (Br-17) The 210 mm gun M1939 (Br-17) (russian: 210-мм пушка образца 1939 года (Бр-17)) was a Czechoslovakia, Czechoslovak heavy siege gun used by the Soviet Union during World War II. After the Germans occupied Czechoslovakia in M ...

, , , , World War II , - , 210 , , Mortaio da 210/8 D.S. , , , , World War I, World War II , - , 210 , , Mortaio da 210/9 modello 1914 , , , , World War I , - , 210 , , Paris Gun , , , , World War I , - , 220 , ,

Mortier de 220 mm modèle 1880 History The Mortier de 220 mm L mle 1880 was one of a series of heavy artillery pieces designed by Charles Ragon de Bange, Colonel Charles Ragon de Bange. On 11 May 1874 three de Bange heavy cannons (120 mm, De Bange 155 mm cannon, 155 ...

, , , , World War I , - , 220 , , Skoda 220 mm howitzer , , , , World War II , - , 229 , ,

9-inch mortar M1877 The 9-inch mortar M1877 was a Russian coastal, fortress and siege mortar that was used in the Russo-Japanese War and World War I. History The M1877 was first designed and produced by the Obukhov State Plant in Saint Petersburg and was fairly ...

, , , , World War I , - , 233 , ,

BL 9.2 inch Howitzer The Ordnance BL 9.2-inch howitzer was a heavy siege howitzer that formed the principal counter-battery equipment of British forces in France in World War I. It equipped a substantial number of siege batteries of the Royal Garrison Artillery. It ...

, , , , World War I , - , 240 , , 24 cm Mörser M 98 , , , , pre-World War I , - , 240 , , 24 cm Haubitze 39 , , , , World War II , - , 240 , , Canon de 24 C modèle 1876 , , , , World War I , - , 240 , ,

Canon de 240 L Mle 1884 The Canon de 240 mm L modèle 1884 was a heavy artillery piece originally employed as coastal artillery and later converted to siege artillery and railway artillery roles. Mle 1884 guns were used in both World War I and World War II. Histor ...

, , , , World War I, World War II , - , 240 , , Canon de 240 TR Mle 1903 , , , , World War I, World War II , - , 240 , , 24 cm Kanone M. 16 , , , , World War I, World War II , - , 240 , , 24 cm Kanone 3 , , , , World War II , - , 240 , ,

Type 45 240 mm howitzer The was a siege gun used by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War I and World War II. The Type 45 designation was given to this gun as it was accepted in the 45th year of Emperor Meiji's reign (1912).War Department Special Series No 25 ''Ja ...

, , , , World War II , - , 240 , ,

Type 96 24 cm howitzer The Type 96 24 cm howitzer (Japanese: 九六式二十四糎榴弾砲 , ''Kyūroku -shiki nijūyon-senchi ryūdanhō'') was a siege gun used by the Imperial Japanese Army in the Japanese-Soviet War and during the Pacific War from 1936 to 1945 ...

, , , , World War II , - , 260 , , Mortaio da 260/9 Modello 16 , , , , World War I, World War II , - , 270 , , Mortier de 270 mm modèle 1885 , , , , World War I , - , 270 , ,

Mortier de 270 mm modèle 1889 The Mortier de 270 mm modèle 1889 sur affût G was a heavy mortar originally employed as coastal artillery and later converted to the siege artillery role. Mle 1889 mortars were used in both the First world war and Second world wars. Hist ...

, , , , World War I, World War II , - , 280 , , Obice da 280 , , , , World War I, World War II , - , 280 , ,

Mortier 280 mm TR de Schneider sur affût-chenilles St Chamond The Mortier 280 mm TR de Schneider sur affût-chenilles St Chamond was a French self-propelled siege howitzer designed during the First World War and used during the Second World War. History Before the First World War, the doctrine of the French ...

, , , , World War II , - , 280 , , 28 cm howitzer L/10 , , , ,

/ World War I, World War II , - , 280 , , 11-inch mortar M1877 , , , , World War I , - , 280 , , 11-inch gun M1877 , , , , World War I , - , 283 , , 28 cm Haubitze L/12 , , , , World War I, World War II , - , 283 , , 28 cm Haubitze L/14 i.R. , , , , World War I , - , 293 , , Mortier de 293 Danois sur affut-truck modèle 1914 , , , , World War I, World War II , - , 305 , ,

BL 12 inch Howitzer The Ordnance BL 12-inch howitzer was a scaled-up version of the successful BL 9.2-inch siege howitzer. History Following the success of their BL 9.2-inch howitzer, Vickers designed an almost identical version scaled up to a calibre of 12 inche ...

, , , , World War I , - , 305 , ,

Type 7 30 cm Howitzer The Type 7 30 cm howitzer ( ja, 七式三十榴弾砲, Shichi-nenshiki sanjū-senchi ryūdanhō) was a howitzer used by the Imperial Japanese Army in the Second Sino-Japanese War, Soviet–Japanese border conflicts and during the Pacific Cam ...

, , , , World War II , - , 305 , , Obice da 305/17 , , , , World War I , - , 305 , , 305 mm howitzer M1915 , , , , World War I , - , 305 , ,

305 mm howitzer M1939 (Br-18) The 305 mm howitzer M1939 (Br-18) (russian: 305-мм гаубица образца 1939 года (Бр-18)) was a Soviet superheavy siege howitzer used by the Soviet Union during World War II. After the Germans occupied Czechoslovakia in ...

, , , , World War II , - , 305 , , 30.5 cm M. 11 (Škoda) , , , , World War I , - , 305 , , 30.5 cm M. 16 (Škoda) , , , , World War I, World War II , - , 355 , , 35.5 cm Haubitze M1 , , , , World War II , - , 370 , ,

Mortier de 370 modèle 1914 Filloux The Mortier de 370 modèle 1914 Filloux (MLE) was a siege mortar. It was designed before the First world war and was used during the First world war. History Although the majority of combatants had heavy field artillery prior to the outbreak of ...

, , , , World War I, World War II , - , 380 , , 38 cm Belagerungshaubitze M 16 , , , , World War I , - , 381 , , BL 15 inch Howitzer , , , , World War I , - , 420 , , 42 cm Gamma Mörser , , , , World War I, World War II , - , 420 , , Big Bertha , , , , World War I , - , 420 , , 42 cm Haubitze M. 14/16 , , , , World War I, World War II , - , 540 , , Karl-Gerät 041 , , , , World War II , - , 600 , , Karl-Gerät 040 , , , , World War II , - , 800 , ,

Schwerer Gustav Schwerer Gustav (English: ''Heavy Gustav'') was a German railway gun. It was developed in the late 1930s by Krupp in Rügenwalde as siege artillery for the explicit purpose of destroying the main forts of the French Maginot Line, the strongest ...

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Muzzle-loading artillery

Breech-loading artillery

See also